I made a mistake and purchased a 50 inch Samsung 3D plasma and returned it within a week due to horrible image retention. After learning a lesson on the importance of doing research on a purchase this large I went to work on trying to find the best tv in my price range (1800 bucks at most.) With most individual reviews and head to head reviews I read I kept seeing Panasonic 3d plasmas at the top of the list. These tv's were not only voted best for 3d but also for 2d. So I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this set and I'm extremely glad I did. There are four main things I want a tv to be able to do; watch sports, play video games, watch regular programs and also to watch movies. And this set performs incredibly well in all areas.

I watch a lot of football and UFC and so far both of these sports look amazing on this tv. Everything runs smoothly and there is no issues with motion blur. So it's great for sports.

I own an XBOX 360 and love first person shooters (Call of Duty, Halo, etc..) and so far I have only played COD: Black Ops on this tv but it's a lot of fun to play on this set. The game always looks smooth and the colors really pop. Once I got use to the size of the tv (I was playing on a 37 inch before) I fell in love with gaming all over again.

As far as watching regular tv, well, I can say that I wish I had HD tv but unfortunately I don't. The standard definition looks great on this tv though. My Direct TV receiver isn't working properly at the moment and I can only view a few programs but so far so good with SD.

Watching movies is where this tv blows other sets out of the water. So far I have watched two regular Blu Rays (The Expendables and Rambo) and one 3d Blu Ray (How to Train Your Dragon) and all I can really say is WOW. I saw both The Expendables and Rambo in the theatre and honestly I think the picture is better on this set than it is at the movies. The colors and amount of detail are incredible. I watched Rambo on the Samsung while I had it and while it did look good it wasn't as good as with this Panasonic. As far as 3d goes I won't say it's as good as IMAX but it is as good as true 3d in a movie theatre. I saw Dragon in 3d at the movies as well and I actually enjoyed it more on this tv. Side note on 3d; I don't know if it will take off and if it doesn't that's okay. I bought this tv because it had the best reviews for 2d so the 3d was a bonus. But it's a fun bonus.

I've also watched some tv on a Samsung LED and I can say with confidence that this Panasonic has a better viewing experience.

Now that I have this tv all I need is a better sound system and some theatre seating and I'll be set. For the money you won't find a better set. Why spend more for an LED when this tv is better and costs less? If you're debating on a great tv to get in this price range then I'd say go for this set. I'm glad I did!